Church expert predicts election of next pope will feature ‘most diverse’ conclave in Church history

Pope Francis’ emphasis on reaching out to the "peripheries" of the Catholic Church and world will result in the most diverse collection of church leaders in history gathering to select the new pope. 

According to Mary FioRito, an expert on papal elections and a senior fellow at the Catholic Association, this could very well result in the next pope having a very different set of priorities than the late pontiff. 

Francis has selected about 80% of the 135 church leaders – called cardinals – who will vote for the next pope in the upcoming papal conclave.

The result will be that instead of being dominated by European or even Western cardinals, the conclave will have large contingents from regions like Africa and Asia.

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